Juice, the award-winning visual effects and post-production studio, continues to expand its presence across Asia, following its recent opening in Singapore. Juice has announced the appointment of Aditya Akolkar as Executive Business Manager.
In the role, Aditya works at the intersection of new business and production, leading early-stage conversations with clients while shaping scope, bidding, and approach before projects are locked, bringing a clear understanding of how various production approaches and AI can be assessed and applied early on. Akolkar will be focused on growing the studio’s client relationships and partnerships by expanding its reach across the Asian and MENA markets.
Akolkar joins with over a decade of experience across film and commercial production, working at the meeting point of craft and business development. Prior to joining Juice, he held roles including Head of Business Development and Business Manager at leading Polish VFX studios, as well as Senior Agency Producer at DDB and FCB, building extensive experience across agency-led production environments. His network spans Europe and Asia, with relationships across China, Japan, India, US and Poland, making him well-placed to accelerate Juice’s growth across the region.
This isn’t a traditional sales role. Akolkar works upstream with clients, shaping ideas, testing approaches, and making production decisions when there’s still room to iterate and get it right, bringing a practical understanding of where AI actually adds value in the process.
Aleksandra Watras-Knichnicka, Head of New Business at Juice, explains: “What drew us to Aditya is his genuinely creative approach and his ability to move fluidly between the creative and production pipeline. He understands the real roller coaster of estimation, the impact of emerging technologies, and given how closely we work with AI, he brings both enthusiasm and a sharp sense of adaptability. He’s solution-oriented, approachable, and keeps teams aligned and supported. Adi understands the work from the inside: how it gets made, what it costs, and what makes it truly good, making for a much more meaningful conversation with clients. He’ll be leading our growth across Asia and the Middle East, with a focus on both short-form work and long-form projects, including film.”
Akolkar is equally candid about what brought him to Juice: “Juice has been part of the Asian market conversation for a while, Tokyo, Shanghai, the relationships are already there. What’s exciting now is that the Middle East opens up a different kind of access, and I want to make sure we’re capitalising on that momentum. Juice’s craft speaks for itself, but what’s happening internally with AI in the pipeline is where it gets really interesting for clients. That’s a story worth telling, and I’m here to tell it.”
With Akolkar in place, Juice will continue building on its Asian base, developing partnerships with brands, agencies, and production companies across the region. The studio’s current commercial slate features work for Amazon, Huawei, Estée Lauder, and Monday.com, alongside major feature film projects for Netflix in Europe, with further announcements expected throughout the year.
